City gives green light to tax holiday for appliances

The Richmond City Council decided to go green for a week.
The Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday was enacted last year and will be effective April 19 through April 25.
According to the state statute, cities have the option of participating in the holiday. The law was changed last year from an option-out process that required cities to pass ordinances to not participate.
The state also has a sales tax holiday in August for school supplies. The city optioned out of the school tax last year.
Beverly Gorham was the only council person not to vote for the holiday.
“I just don’t want to bypass an opportunity for the city to collect sales tax,” Gorham said after the meeting Wednesday night.
Members of the city’s Finance Committee discussed the issue on Monday night at a meeting. City Finance Director Melanie Allwood said she could not put a definite figure on how much sales tax the city would lose, but said she believed it would be minimal.
Councilmen Dave Powell and Scott Marshall asked if other cities were going to participate. City Administrator Rick Childers said he did not think many cities in the area would option in the holiday.
Committee members came to a consensus that it might be best to option into the holiday to draw potential shoppers from other areas in the hopes they might spend some money on items that are not tax exempt.
In other actions:
• The city has commissioned Molly McGovern to administer the city’s next Community Development Block Grant that will be used to replace water lines throughout the city. Childers said the project is slated to cost about $500,000. McGovern also administered the CDBG for the Downtown Revitalization Project.
• Mayor Lance Green reported that Police Chief Terri McWilliams will have a presentation of the 911 assessment at the next council meeting.
• A public information meeting concerning the city’s stormwater project will be held at City Hall on Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m.
• Childers reported that sludge removal should begin within 10 days and the city’s working on a long term contract.
• The council approved the Police Department spending of up to $2,000 for exercise equipment for the police station. The department will contribute $2,000 of their own.
• The city released $105,000 in retainage to Rand Construction for the completion of the City Hall Complex.
• The city voted to wave the city noise ordinance for Mushroom Festival activities.